Objective: To evaluate bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cytology and organism burden in patients with Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) who were infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and in those with other immunodeficiencies.
Study Design: BAL fluid samples from patients with PCP were selected (HIV-infected patients, n = 15; patients with other immunodeficiencies, n = 11). May-Grünwald-Giemsa-stained cytocentrifuge preparations were evaluated. Foamy alveolar casts (FACs) and P carinii clusters were counted.
Results: The numbers of FACs and P carinii clusters in BAL fluid samples of HIV-infected patients were significantly higher as compared to those in samples from patients with other immunodeficiencies. Striking cytologic findings observed in half the samples from both patient groups included the presence of foamy alveolar macrophages, activated lymphocytes, plasma cells and reactive type II pneumocytes. Furthermore, a peculiar cell type, "nonidentified cell" (NIC), was observed almost exclusively in BAL fluid samples from HIV-infected patients.
Conclusion: BAL fluid samples from HIV-infected patients with PCP displayed higher organism burdens as compared to those from patients with other immunodeficiencies. Moreover, cytologic findings suggestive of noninfectious lung conditions were common in BAL fluid samples obtained from patients with PCP. Further study is required to elucidate the identity of the NIC cell type.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1159/000327625 | DOI Listing |
Lung
January 2025
Department of Respiratory Medicine, Affiliated Huzhou Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Huzhou, People's Republic of China.
Purpose: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive fibrotic lung disorder characterized by dry cough, fatigue, and exacerbated dyspnea. The prognosis of IPF is notably unfavorable, becoming extremely poor when the disease advances acutely. Effective therapeutic intervention is essential to mitigate disease progression; hence, early diagnosis and treatment are paramount.
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January 2025
Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, 241 W 11th Ave, Suite 5000, Columbus, OH, 43201, USA.
Background: Checkpoint inhibitor pneumonitis (CIP) that develops following immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) treatment can be difficult to distinguish from other common etiologies of lung inflammation in cancer patients. Here, we evaluate the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL) for potential biomarkers specific to CIP.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of patients who underwent standard of care bronchoscopy to compare the cytokines of interest between patients with and without CIP and with and without immune-mediated pulmonary diseases.
Soc Sci Med
December 2024
ESHPM, Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Capacity problems in healthcare lead organizations to seek new and fluid ways of organizing care to safeguard access to services. Task reallocation, triage and stepped care models are increasingly foregrounded as promising interventions that enhance the capacity, efficiency, and resilience of medical services and through which access can be maintained for a growing client base. In this paper, we argue that interventions meant to enhance capacity and increase efficiency have their limits in a system that is already under strain.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArch Toxicol
December 2024
Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Exposure to diesel exhaust is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular and lung disease. Substituting petroleum diesel with renewable diesel can alter emission properties but the potential health effects remain unclear. This study aimed to explore toxicity and underlying mechanisms of diesel exhaust from renewable fuels.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDiagn Pathol
December 2024
Department of Microbiology, Queen Mary Hospital, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China.
Hormographiella aspergillata is a rare hyaline mold causing invasive fungal infection in humans, until the frequent use of antifungal prophylaxis in immunocompromised hosts. Due to the high mortality of H. aspergillata infection, early recognition and treatment are crucial.
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